Month by Month: March
March 12, 2010 · Posted by Dance Advantage ·
In the midst of competition season and as the push toward recital time begins, you may be feeling your classes could use a bit of fun to break up the “blahs.”
March offers some opportunities to try something a little different. Here are some ideas:
Image by Getty Images via Daylife
A Night at the Oscars
Sometimes new accompaniment is all that is needed. Use movie soundtracks and classic cinema songs to spice up your classes one evening this month.
For fun, you might host an awards ceremony during the last 15 minutes of class – this could be your own version of “paper bag” ...
Month by Month: March
March 12, 2010 · Posted by Dance Advantage ·
In the midst of competition season and as the push toward recital time begins, you may be feeling your classes could use a bit of fun to break up the “blahs.”
March offers some opportunities to try something a little different. Here are some ideas:
Image by Getty Images via Daylife
A Night at the Oscars
Sometimes new accompaniment is all that is needed. Use movie soundtracks and classic cinema songs to spice up your classes one evening this month.
For fun, you might host an awards ceremony during the last 15 minutes of class – this could be your own version of “paper bag” ...
Teaching Tap Improvisation: Exercises for Beginners
March 10, 2010 · Posted by Dance Advantage ·
After years of slightly embarrassing moments in front of peers and master teachers, I decided the time had come to develop a thorough improvisation syllabus based on advice from as many great hoofers as possible. I’ll be sharing some of that work with you. Here are the first exercises I present to my students.
Beginning Improvisation Exercises
(Appropriate for students of all ages and levels, unless otherwise noted)
Exercise 1: Group Nursery Rhymes
Goal: Get feet connected to brains, and get students moving!
Choose a song that everyone knows. My suggestion is “Mary Had a Little Lamb” for the first time you try this. ...
Teaching Tap Improvisation: Exercises for Beginners
March 10, 2010 · Posted by Dance Advantage ·
After years of slightly embarrassing moments in front of peers and master teachers, I decided the time had come to develop a thorough improvisation syllabus based on advice from as many great hoofers as possible. I’ll be sharing some of that work with you. Here are the first exercises I present to my students.
Beginning Improvisation Exercises
(Appropriate for students of all ages and levels, unless otherwise noted)
Exercise 1: Group Nursery Rhymes
Goal: Get feet connected to brains, and get students moving!
Choose a song that everyone knows. My suggestion is “Mary Had a Little Lamb” for the first time you try this. ...
Five Ways Postmodern Principles Can Positively Impact Your Studio
March 9, 2010 · Posted by Dance Advantage ·
What studio wouldn’t want their dancers coming out more versatile as dancers and more open-minded as people?
Whether adding an improvisation class, a creative composition course, or just exposing students to performance and video, incorporating postmodern dance principles into your studio structure and course offerings is a step in the right direction for developing more well-rounded dancers and standout dance studios.
But where is postmodern dance in studio instruction?
It is a commonly asked question in today’s growing dance world.
Most studio dancers have been exposed to the traditional course offerings of ballet, jazz, and tap dance. They are familiar with ballet terminology, tap ...
Five Ways Postmodern Principles Can Positively Impact Your Studio
March 9, 2010 · Posted by Dance Advantage ·
What studio wouldn’t want their dancers coming out more versatile as dancers and more open-minded as people?
Whether adding an improvisation class, a creative composition course, or just exposing students to performance and video, incorporating postmodern dance principles into your studio structure and course offerings is a step in the right direction for developing more well-rounded dancers and standout dance studios.
But where is postmodern dance in studio instruction?
It is a commonly asked question in today’s growing dance world.
Most studio dancers have been exposed to the traditional course offerings of ballet, jazz, and tap dance. They are familiar with ballet terminology, tap ...
Sunday Snapshot: Trapezium
March 7, 2010 · Posted by Dance Advantage ·
I was so wowed by this image when I saw it appear in the Sunday Snapshot pool. The distal reach of the dancer’s arms create a striking diagonal and, of course, the musculature of a dancer’s back is always an absorbing feature. I was very taken by the angular shape of the body and play of shadow and light, and I thought you would be too.
About the Photographer: Dave Wood is a part-time photographer from Denver, Colorado. His primary focus is on black and white images of the nude human form. Dave’s work can be found online at davewoodphotography.com and ...
Sunday Snapshot: Trapezium
March 7, 2010 · Posted by Dance Advantage ·
I was so wowed by this image when I saw it appear in the Sunday Snapshot pool. The distal reach of the dancer’s arms create a striking diagonal and, of course, the musculature of a dancer’s back is always an absorbing feature. I was very taken by the angular shape of the body and play of shadow and light, and I thought you would be too.
About the Photographer: Dave Wood is a part-time photographer from Denver, Colorado. His primary focus is on black and white images of the nude human form. Dave’s work can be found online at davewoodphotography.com and ...
Guest Post: Unifying Women and Mothers Through Dance
March 5, 2010 · Posted by Dance Advantage ·
The following guest post is from a loyal reader, Camille. I asked her to write this account for Dance Advantage because I appreciated her passionate support of dance and its role in community. I knew also that she was employed as a dance teacher in Scotland, doing a job very much the same yet also very different from that of many dance instructors. She will tell you more about this work in her own words but I feel it speaks to the affect dance and movement can have on the soul and on a group of people. Occasionally, I like ...
Guest Post: Unifying Women and Mothers Through Dance
March 5, 2010 · Posted by Dance Advantage ·
The following guest post is from a loyal reader, Camille. I asked her to write this account for Dance Advantage because I appreciated her passionate support of dance and its role in community. I knew also that she was employed as a dance teacher in Scotland, doing a job very much the same yet also very different from that of many dance instructors. She will tell you more about this work in her own words but I feel it speaks to the affect dance and movement can have on the soul and on a group of people. Occasionally, I like ...
